The Illinois State womens golf team concluded the 2003 fall season with a number of team and individual accomplishments to build upon as they prepare for the upcoming spring season.
The team competed in five fall events, finishing in the top 10 at each, with one top five finish, all while posting a scoring average of 311.73. The fall scoring average topped last years total by two shots.
With a record breaking performance in the Redbird Fall Classic to kickoff the fall season, the Redbirds were able to begin the season ranked in the top 100 and remained there all season long. Midway through the fall the team was ranked as high as 57th, but finished the season at No. 67, making them the second highest ranked university in the state of Illinois.
During the fall, the Birds faced 16 of the top 75 teams in the nation, with 11 being ranked in the top 50. The spring season will be filled with much of the same top ranked competition. Teams from the Big 10 and Big 12 will be participating in the Indiana Invitational and the Illini Spring Classic. In addition, the top teams from the Valley will battle it out in an MVC Championship Preview.
The season tees off on February 29 in Lakeland, Florida at the Lady Moc Invitational and also features a trip to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands in March. The MVC championships will be held at Hickory Ridge Golf course hosted by Southern Illinois University. Illinois State is fortunate this year to host the NCAA Central Regional Golf Championship.
Head coach
Ray Kralis knows the importance of hosting a regional.
We are well aware that having this event at our home course is a huge advantage and we will work hard to insure that we seize this opportunity, Kralis said.
Kralis also feels the team learned a great deal about themselves from such a competitive fall schedule and hopes to build on these experiences in the spring.
Even though we are still young, we matured a great deal as a team during the fall, Kralis said. When each individual demonstrates the type of commitment it takes to succeed at this level, we will be a force not only in the MVC, but in the Central Region as well.
Sophomore standout Samantha Richdale led the team throughout the fall and will continue that role in the spring. Richdale was a major factor in the teams success. Overall, she had four top five finishes and finished in the top 20 in all five events. She carded a low round of 70 to tie the school record and had 13 of 15 rounds in the 70s. Richdale finished the season ranked 85th by Golfweek and 64th by Golfstat individually in the nation.
Fellow sophomore Ashlie Rose also contributed to the mix, as well as junior Ashlee Johnson and freshmen Hilary Anderson and Chelsea Bach. Rose also carded a school record 70 and had three rounds at 76 or better. Johnson carded seven rounds in the 70s, while Anderson had eight and Bach five.
I know this team is ready to win again, and it wont surprise me at all if one win leads to multiple wins despite competing in fields of 12 or more schools, Kralis said. If we continue to handle our business we will be ready to make some noise at the NCAA Central Regional Championship.
This young nucleus of players are capable of taking the womens golf program to new heights. The fall season was just a glimpse of what the future could hold.
